Summary
The term “DEI” (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) has become a coded way for Republicans to conceal their anti-Black racism, echoing past racist dog whistles.
This parallels with Lee Atwater’s 1981 admission that conservatives used abstract terms like “states’ rights” to mask racism.
Today, figures like Alina Habba, Tim Burchett, and far-right influencers use “DEI hire” to discredit qualified Black figures.
The media’s failure to challenge this rhetoric allows racism to persist, making “DEI” a modern substitute for explicit racial slurs.
Yeah… the nitpicking in-fighting from people that spend waaaaay too much time delineating groups rather than working for a common cause was particularly fun in the last election. “We’re not the Judean People’s Front! We’re the People’s Front of Judea!”